The Place Where Mythological Stories Were Told: OLD LITHUANIAN HOMESTEAD Visiting Open Air Ethnographic Museum of Lithuania Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

When long dark winter evenings came, all Lithuanian families gathered in warm houses. The older family members told lots of stories to the younger ones… Comenius PM-913-BT-LT Our story will take you to the place where ancient legends had been told…

In the past people used to live in wooden houses. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

The whole homestead consisted of a living house, a stackyard, a granary and a cattle-shed. Sometimes, there was also a summer kitchen, a bath house, a smoke house and a potato bunker. 1.Granary This is the place where mythological creature Kite used to live. 2.Stackyard Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

The house was divided into three parts by two walls. Those parts are called a porch, a living room and the best end of the house. THE PORCH THE LIVING ROOM THE BEST END Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

A threshold. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT It was believed that a little home god lives under the threshold. To enter the house people had to step over the threshold with their head leaned down.

The best end of the house It’s a special room for hosting the guests and celebration of family feasts. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

The best end of the house: the main attributes This dowry chest was used to collect items such as clothing and household linen, by unmarried young women in anticipation of married life. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

Straw decoration (a hanging garden) The upper part (the pyramid) of the decoration symbolizes the vault of heaven, the bottom one symbolizes the underworld. The space between them is the earth. It was believed that the structure of decoration accumulates the energy of space and gives it back to people sitting beneath the hanging garden. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

Verba (a palm) is a special bucket of the first spring plants for home protection from thunder. Sanctified in a church on Palm Sunday Verba was kept by the ceiling, pointing to the entrance of the room all the year. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

Wreaths of rye and flax are the symbols of the end of the harvest time. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT Wreaths were hanged on the wall in front of the table where the most honourable member of the family took a seat.

The living room Every house had its stove for cooking and heating. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

The living room This is an ancient illuminator. The end of the spill gave a faint light when it was burning. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

The living room A decorative linen towel always was installed between two windows in a decorated wooden towel- horse. This towel usually was a present which a housewife had got on her wedding or baptizing day or weaved herself. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

The living room: working tools Ironing … Spinning-wheel Water buckets Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

Open Air Museum of Lithuania is a unique and one of the largest (195 ha) open-air ethnographic museums in Europe. It has the biggest quantity of exhibits (140 buildings and over mobile exhibits). The museum presents the mode of life, works, and traditions of peasants and townspeople of all Lithuanian ethnographic areas: Dzūkija, Aukštaitija, Suvalkija, Žemaitija and Lithuania Minor. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT

This presentation is prepared by Jonava Raimundas Samulevicius Progymnasium COMENIUS group of students. Comenius PM-913-BT-LT